District Five Versus the Cardinals
by Jenn1
Summary: Adam and his friends watch the Cardinals play District Five. During the game, Adam meets some boys from his brother's high school.


**Title: **District Five Versus the Cardinals

**Author:** Jenn

**Email:** PG

**Timeline:** D1, during the Ducks and Cardinals game.

**Category:** General. Little angsty. Hey it's Adam, do you expect anything else? Non-slash.

**Feedback**: Of course!

**Spoilers: **D1 and minor ones D3

**Summary: **Adam and his friends watch the Cardinals play District Five. During the game, Adam meets some boys from his brother's high school.

**Archive**: Anywhere, but please ask first.

**Disclaimers:** Disney owns the Ducks and everyone recognizable from the movies. Anyone else is mine. Not making one penny for this story. This is just for enjoyment.

_Thoughts are in italics._

**Author's Note:** I wanted to dedicate this story to Meme. This is just from a reader who never reviewed her stories. I hope she accepts this humble story as a token of my appreciation of her wonderful work.

* * *

"Where in the world _is_ he?"

Zack Larson looked at his watch for the fifth time. They were going miss ring time if Adam did not get here in a matter of minutes.

"Who cares? Adam isn't going to show. Let's just go, before all the good seats are taken." Jordan McGill retorted a few feet away, pacing back and forth to keep warm.

Shooting his friend a skeptical look Zack replied, "This is District 5 we're talking about. How many people will show up to watch _them_?"

"True, but there is a good chance we'll play the Cardinals in the championship game."

"So? We'll beat them hands down."

"Who will we beat?" Adam Banks jogged up to his friends.

"It nice that you graced us with your presence, Banks." Jordan said dryly.

"Where were you?" Zack was surprised; Adam always was the one who was early or on time, which could not be said of Jordan or himself. Zack was lucky if he just made practices on time without Coach Reilly ready to chew him out.

Adam did not want to get into why he was late. So he settled with part of the truth. "I waited till the last minute to see if I could catch a ride. Dad left before I could get one. So I had to get the bus."

"A bus? Man, it's too bad Drew isn't gonna be 16 until June."

Jordan unknowingly hit on one of the people that caused Adam to be late. His dad and brother had been arguing and Drew left. Adam did not dare ask his father for a ride. Not in the mood he was in. Even if Adam had gotten the nerve to ask, Philip Banks left the house not five minutes after Drew had. Where his dad or brother had gone was anyone's guess.

"Are we just going to stand here or watch the game?" Zack asked, his hand on the door handle.

Adam walked through the door. This game was going to predictable. District Five zero and the Cardinals will have a good score on the board. _But not as high of a number as I made in the Hawks game against District 5_, Adam thought with a smile.

The Cardinals were already warming up. The District Five team was nowhere to be seen.

As they found seats next to highest bleachers Zack said, "Wonder where the _girls_ are?"

"Probably too chicken to come out." Jordan said with a grin.

Adam did not comment. District Five was bad, but he did not get pleasure making fun of them like his friends seemed to.

"Who are you talking about?" asked a voice behind them.

Turning around, the three Hawks saw two fourteen-year-old boys look questioningly at them. Jordan answered, "District 5. They're the worst team."

"The worst? How bad are they?" asked the boy with short blond hair. He had on red jacket; which meant that he possibly was on the Eden Hall Warriors.

Zack replied, "Let's put this way, the girl they have on the team is really about the best they've got."

The blonde's face turned to a look of disbelief, "They've got a _girl_?"

Adam heard his friends agreeing, but he was not paying attention. His sapphire eyes were focused on the team coming on the ice.

No ugly orange shirts on any of the players like last time he had seen them. They had on _real_ jerseys of green and yellow with a duck on the front.

"That's District 5?" asked the boy with brown hair. He had been the one to ask whom Zack and Jordan where talking about earlier. He too had on a red jacket.

"They must've gotten a sponsor." Adam said more to himself then the others.

Jordan snorted. "That doesn't mean they can play."

District Five turned Ducks were throwing and catching footballs to one other. Their coach, Gordon Bombay was in the center of it all.

"Isn't that Tammy and Tommy Duncan?" asked Zack. Sure enough the two figure skaters were now playing hockey. Adam wondered what possessed them to do that.

Adam looked at the Cardinals' side of the rink. He saw two of the boys talking and pointing at the Ducks.

"That's my brother Ian, number 13. And you're Andrew Banks' little brother aren't you?"

Adam turned to stare at the brown haired boy, then nodded. _How would he even know I'm Drew's brother?_ Adam wondered. He did not think they looked very much alike.

The teen introduced himself. "Rick Riley." Nudging his friend, "This is Cole. We're on the JV team at Eden Hall." That explained the red jackets. Adam should have known.

But Jordan wondered about Cole's name. "Cole what?" asked Jordan. The teen gave him a look to say, _Don't ask_.

"I'm Jordan McGill, Zack Larson and Adam. The three of us-." Jordan was interrupted.

"Are on the Hawks." Rick finished for him looking at their coats.

Whack.

Clang.

Five sets of eyes looked down at the ice. One of Ducks was practicing in front of the net.

"It's Reed." Adam barely whispered. One of the pucks accidentally hit near the top of the stands on the other side.

Fulton Reed was not a guy Adam wanted to think about. He could still remember the smell of the garbage he and friends landed into thanks to Reed. _But you deserved it; _his conscience taunted him.

"Afraid of a little competition, Banksie?" jeered Rick.

Adam did not have time comment on the name. Jordan started laughing like it was funniest thing in the world. He managed to speak trough his mirth, "Banksie…" Snicker. "That's good." Another laugh.

"It's Adam." Zack said frowned up at a smirking Rick and then turned to glare to his friend hoping the look would shut him up.

Rick looked at Zack then back at Adam. "Sorry…_Adam_." But he did not sound apologetic.

"Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!" A chant started quietly then grew louder as it continued.

Adam wasn't sure what the others thought of the little chant. But he thought it was a little stupid but the quacking was not a bad thing, since it was obviously getting the Ducks and their fans pumped.

Rick made his opinion known. "That was retarded."

"They were better at trying to say win-" Zack started to add.

"Not like _that_ would happen." Jordan cut in.

"Are you guys done?" Adam looked at his two friends with exasperation. "I would like to watch the game." With that, they all settled down.

The game was different, not what the five boys expected. The Hawks thought the Ducks were going play as bad as they did in the Hawks/D-5 game. Even though the Ducks had not scored, they were playing better. And Goldberg was not afraid of the puck anymore. He managed to get some stopped, preventing the Cardinals to score save for the two pucks that got pass the Duck goalie. The two JV players thought the Cardinals would wipe the ice with the Ducks. They were not happy that the score was 2 to 0 at the end of the first period. Rick secretly hoped his brother's team would make it the championship game. The three Hawks in front of him along with the rest of their team needed to get their asses kicked.

Adam was watching the game, but he was deep in his own thoughts. Mostly about the argument he had overheard from his dad and brother. Drew did not want play hockey after this season. He wanted to do something else and focus on his schoolwork. Their father thought his oldest son was crazy.

In truth, Adam did not understand that himself. Drew was only a sophomore at Eden Hall, but he had made Varsity this year. Adam thought that was cool. But Drew wanted to give that all up?

Drew also told his father he hated it that their dad pushed him into hockey just because he was good at it. Drew also said that he felt hockey did not challenge him anymore and that he never loved the game. Adam had not fully understood all of what his brother had been talking about. Drew also had mentioned him. That Adam was different. That he had a love for the game. That he was better then Drew was and would ever be. And Drew was afraid if their father would push Adam like he had him, it would break him. Drew had stormed out of the house without so much as waiting to see what their father would say.

_What did Drew mean by all that? Surely I am not better then him? He is a much better player then I. How could Dad push me with hockey? I could never stop. That is all I want to do. Just to play-_

Adam got jolted out of his thoughts by getting elbowed in the ribs by Jordan. "Jeez for someone who's watching the game, your doing a good job of paying attention."

"What'd I miss?"

"Look at the Ducks' fans."

The fans in question were jumping up and down cheering their hearts out.

"Jesse Hall made a goal." Zack said nodding down to the ice were the Ducks were celebrating their first goal ever.

"So the Oreo Line made a goal, big deal. They're acting like they won the game." Jordan rolled his eyes.

"That's just it, it _is_ a big deal to them." Adam stated quietly to his friend.

"It's like your happy for them."

Turning around he faced Cole. "So, maybe I am and maybe I'm not. It's just one lousy goal. I could really care less." He replied with a shrug.

Narrowing his eyes, Rick said in a snide voice, "There are some things you are gonna have to learn when you get to high school hockey, Banksie boy. For one thing, don't defended the other team, or you'll get hurt."

Zack and Jordan watched the small exchange, but they took what Rick had to say to heart.

"Rick has a point." Jordan said. Zack nodded his agreement.

Adam did not say anything. But he thought, _It's not like I am going to turn on the Hawks._

When Dave Karp got hit in the helmet with puck Adam did not say anything. But he was glad to see that Karp appeared okay if not a bit dazed. His friends remained quiet too. Rick and Cole were inpatient for the game to continue.

With only twenty-eight seconds left in the game, it looked like the Cardinals were going to win 2-1.

That was when Ducks' coach put Fulton Reed on the ice.

The Cardinal players scattered and curled up to protect themselves. Adam silently laughed seeing Ian Riley and his teammates. He was sure if it had been him and his own team down there, they would not cower for anything.

With the Cardinals ducking for cover, Connie Moreau got control of the puck and shot it to Guy Germaine, who shot the puck into the goal. The goalie wasn't prepared to stop it in time.

The Ducks tied with the Cardinals. The Ducks had…_tied_! Adam could not believe it.

The Ducks' families and friends were going wild.

As Zack, Jordan, and Adam were ready to leave, Rick put a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"See you in few years, Banksie."

"Right." Adam answered quietly._ I hate that name._

**Playoffs the Semi Finals – Ducks VS Cardinals**

Adam skated to and fro letting his legs loosen up. The game was going start in ten minutes.

Slowing and coming to a stop, Adam looked up at the stands. Was his dad among the fans? Not that his father would be caught dead in the Ducks section.

_There's Ms. Conway, Mr. Hall and Hans,_ he thought seeing their familiar faces. Smiling he saw Drew and gave him a quick wave. At least someone from his family was here.

Looking over on the other side Adam's eyes saw the red of the Cardinal fans. But someone in red sitting on the highest bleacher caught his eye.

Rick Riley. _Of course he's here for Ian and his team to win_.

"What ya lookin' at, Banks?" Karp's voice startled him.

"Cardinals' fans."

Now that Adam was on the Ducks, he had learned that there was more to the game then just winning. He had learned too that is was fun, win or lose. But Adam had to admit it was great to still win. The Ducks also were accepting him. But did they like him or just the hockey player?

"Looks like your _friends_ are here." Peter said with a disgusted look as he and Jesse skated up to them. Well maybe _most_ of the Ducks accepted him.

"Friends?" Adam regretted asking as soon as the word left his mouth.

Jesse nodded his head to the end of the Cardinals section. Following Jesse's gaze, Adam saw Jordan and Zack in front of the stands. He had not seen either of his so-called friends since the North Stars game. They were watching him and knew when he saw them. _Great._

Seeing what his three teammates were looking at Karp shook his head. "Don't these jerks have anything better to do?"

_No. And I would be with them, if_- Adam halted in mid thought. _It doesn't matter_. But it did. Even if the Ducks made it to the championship game; there was no way that they could beat the Hawks.

Jesse's voice, laced with disdain brought him out of his thoughts. "You miss it, Cake-Eater?"

He was not going to let Jesse get to him. Pressing his lips into a thin line he skated away.

The Ducks had a game to win.

**The End**


End file.
